Chapter 4

~Dominic~

I struggled to open my eyes. Damn, it feels like they are being held down by something heavy. What is that smell? It smells like disinfectant. I peep through my lids a bit, and it is blurry, but I can make out white walls. I hear a beeping sound in the background. Where the hell am I? The last thing I remember is being in the banquet hall…..that BITCH! Now I'm starting to remember what happened, but how I ended up here, I do not know, with here being…...a hospital room?! I completely open my eyes, and they adjust to the bright lights. I am in the hospital, but I have no idea where. Just then, the door opens, and a giant figure fills up the doorway. “Well, well….look who is finally awake.” Malachi states. Malachi is the Alpha of the Blood Red pack, and we have known each other for some time. If he is here with me, I must be back on the pack lands.

“How did I end up here….why?”

“I finally got to the hotel for the conference. I went into the banquet hall and witnessed quite a commotion. There were people gathered around something on the floor. When I got close, I saw it was you, so I moved everyone back and picked you up to bring you back here.” Malachi sat in the chair beside my bed, stretching out with his hands behind his head.

“So how long have I been here?” I ask.

“It has been 3 weeks to be honest.”

I stare at him like he has another head growing out of his neck. Three weeks?! “It has been three fucking weeks?!?!?!?!” I yell out. I start to grab all of the wires sticking out of me, and the monitors start to go crazy. A nurse and doctor start to run into the room, but Malachi turns to them and tells them that everything is ok. I just needed a minute to calm down, and they could check me later.

“Calm down guy. You don’t need to be in here for three more weeks.” Malachi says as he watches me flip out.

“That bitch! That ugly little BITCH!” I shout.

“Just what exactly happened anyway?” Malachi asks me.

I take a deep breath and tell him everything about that night, everything. When I'm done, Malachi looks at me with mischief in his eyes. “Now, the wolf I know would not take that lying down. What exactly do you plan to do?” I stop for a minute and start to rub my hands together. I will get her back; I just need to figure out the best way to do that.

~Kehlani~

It has been six weeks since I rejected my fated mate at the conference. Jax and I left right after and took the long journey back home. I was in pain the entire way, and Jax tried to help as best he could by stroking my back on the drive home. I allowed myself a day to wallow in my grief, and then I got back up and got back to work.

What I could not do was stay in bed and wallow for longer. My pack needed me, and they needed me alert. I could not sit and spend time crying over a man who had no respect for women, let alone for me as his mate. It was a tough three weeks, but I got through it and felt much better. Kai was doing well, too; she wanted her mate but wanted him even less.

I'm getting ready for a meeting we are having later. We will be traveling two hours to the Lunar pack. We have an alliance with them, and they called two other packs to attend: Dark Moon and Eclipse Moon. I don't currently have an alliance with those two packs, but anything can change. My father put the Lunar pack’s alliance into place, and, luckily, when the new Alpha took over, he kept the alliance with me. He is around my age and does not see an issue with a woman in charge. I'm taking my Gamma, Melanie, today rather than my Beta. Sometimes I like to take my Gamma on these small outings just so she is not always the fail-safe when I leave the territory.

I meet Melanie outside, and we load into the black Cadillac Escalade. Melanie and I are sitting in the back while I have my driver and my personal warrior in the front. I usually rotate amongst my warriors, but Trent often accompanies me when I leave the premises.

The two-hour drive goes quickly with not much in the way of conversation amongst us. When we pull up to the packhouse, we see a welcoming party. Trent helps me out of the back seat, and Melanie follows me. I walk up to the group and extend my hand.

“Wonderful for you to join us,” Alpha Jack states as he shakes my hand. “Let me introduce you to my mate and Luna Marissa.”

I smile at Marissa and shake her hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you Marissa. I'm Alpha Kehlani, and this is my Gamma Melanie.”

Marissa shook Melissa’s hand and welcomed her to her home. Marissa was a good-looking woman who seemed to fit well with Jack. Alpha Jack stood about 6’0 and was very muscular. He had light brown eyes, which matched his brown skin tone. He kept his black hair in a small afro which was nice to see (not too many afros out there these days). Marissa was about 5’8 with a darker brown skin tone. She had dark brown eyes, and her hair was dyed burgundy and cut into an asymmetrical bob. It really framed her face well.

The inside of the packhouse was elegant, to say the least. The floors were dark hardwood, and the walls were painted a bright white. Most of the furniture and decor were sleek, giving it a very modern look. We were shown into the conference room on the first floor. I said hello to the Alphas from the Dark Moon and Eclipse Moon packs. They were already seated at the table along with the Beta from Dark Moon. Alpha Jack walked in behind me with his Beta Frank at his heels.

“Gentlemen, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long. If so, I truly apologize,” I said. I thought we had made good time, but maybe I misjudged.

“No, don't worry at all. Everyone just barely arrived before you did,” Alpha Jack replied while taking his seat at the head of the table.

“We need to wait for my Beta anyway,” Alpha Issac of the Eclipse Moon pack said. “He had to step outside to take a quick phone call. He should be back shortly.”

I nodded my head towards the Alpha. Just then, the double doors were pulled open, and the most amazing scent filled the air. It smelled of fresh linens and cotton. I love how laundry smells when it gets out of the dryer, which brought me back to that.

Kai….is this really happening? Could this be…..

MATE!!!